Meet Andre Silva: The latest wonderkid linked with Arsenal move

The international break has given us a perfect opportunity to look at some of the best young talents that other countries have to offer. And while Portuguese fans are still very much celebrating their Euro 2016 success, there’s even more reason to be excited as a new talent has emerged in recent weeks, and he goes by the name of Andre Silva.

Cristiano Ronaldo grabbed his 66^th goal for Portugal last night, but the standout performance came from 20-year-old Silva, who netted a 37-minute hat-trick in the first-half against the Faroe Islands in a 6-0 victory over the minnows.

A product of Porto’s youth academy, Silva made his first-team debut for the Dragoes back in 2015, and has since represented the Portuguese outfit on 25 occasions in all competitions, scoring nine times.

But it’s his recent call-up to the national side that’s seen his stock rise, and while many a youngster would feel somewhat starstruck playing alongside the European champions, Silva seems unfazed.

He made just nine league appearances in his debut campaign with the senior team, with five of those coming from the bench.

But the departure of former loanee Cristian Tello, Vincent Aboubakar and Dani Osvaldo in the summer meant a path to the first-team became clear, and Silva grabbed the opportunity with both hands, starting every league game for Porto so far this season.

It’s no surprise that he’s attracting interest from some of Europe’s heavyweights, most of which seems to be coming from the Premier League, with Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger and Leicester City manager Claudio Ranieri both reportedly keen on securing his services.

In fact, Wenger had scouts watching Silva when the Portuguese giants visited Leicester last month in the Champions League, sparking rumours that a bid could be made for the forward in January.

Gooners have been crying out for a new striker in recent years, and though Silva may be one for the future, Wenger could certainly raise spirits in north London should he capture one of the hottest prospects on the continent.

All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing